Titanium nitride (TiN) films are used in integrated circuits (ICs) for a variety of purposes, including capacitor plates and metal interconnect liners. TiN films exhibit low electrical resistivity and good adhesion to dielectric materials commonly used in ICs, and provide good diffusion barriers to metals commonly used in ICs, such as aluminum and copper. TiN has high tensile stress that can cause cracks in films thicker than 40 nanometers.